The Presentation Lab · Lesson

Speaking, Reading
— and Thinking

Three cognitive speeds. Same 100 words. Your results will change how you think about slides.

→
Do this first
Try the experiment before reading anything else
Three rounds. One 100-word script. Takes about 3 minutes.
How it works
1
Start the timer, then speak the excerpt aloud at your normal presentation pace. Stop when you finish.
2
Reset, then read the same excerpt silently — eyes only, no lips moving.
3
Reset, then speak it aloud again — but really think about what each sentence means as you say it.
1
Speaking Aloud
Read the excerpt out loud at your normal presentation pace
Ready
Script — read aloud at your normal pace

Your partner will now read or deliver page 7 of their workbook for this experiment.

0.0s

Or enter your seconds manually if you used your own stopwatch.

My time: seconds
2
Silent Reading
Read with your eyes only — no lips, no whispering
Up next
Script — read silently, eyes only

Your partner will now read or deliver page 7 of their workbook for this experiment.

0.0s

Or enter your seconds manually if you used your own stopwatch.

My time: seconds
3
Speaking + Thinking
Speak aloud again — but really think about every sentence as you go
Up next
Script — speak aloud, thinking about each sentence

Your partner will now read or deliver page 7 of their workbook for this experiment.

0.0s

Or enter your seconds manually if you used your own stopwatch.

My time: seconds
Your Speed Profile
Based on your three readings of the same 100-word excerpt
Speaking Aloud
—
wpm
Silent Reading
—
wpm
Speaking + Thinking
—
wpm
Relative speed — your three rates
Help Grow the Research
Add your results to the global dataset

Takes 60 seconds. Your results are anonymous — and help us understand whether speaking rates vary around the world.

Submit My Results →
Opens Microsoft Forms in a new tab — your seconds will be pre-filled
View the live results →
See how your speed compares to everyone who has taken this experiment — updated in real time.
Research data · n = 254 participants

How do you compare?

Here's what we found when 254 people timed themselves on the same three tasks.

① Fastest 234wpm Silent Reading Avg. 25.7 seconds
② Middle 182wpm Speaking Aloud Avg. 32.9 sec · 22% slower
③ Slowest 156wpm Speaking + Thinking Avg. 38.5 sec · 33% slower
Relative speed — same 100-word excerpt
Silent Reading
234
Speaking Aloud
182
Speaking + Thinking
156
0 wpm 60 120 180 234 wpm
Response distribution — % of 254 participants per time bracket
Silent Reading
Speaking Aloud
Speaking + Thinking
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 1–9s 23% 10–19s 46% 26% 20–29s 23% 56% 48% 30–39s 13% 31% 40–49s 50s+
Reading

46% of participants finished in 20–29s. The distribution is tight and fast-skewed.

Thinking

79% of participants needed 30 seconds or more. The distribution trails deep into the slow end.

Data: McEachern & Associates Consulting Inc. — Presentation Lab participant experiment, 2021–2025 · amlearning.pslab-ca